Agentic AI and the Human Capital Frontier

This week, Apple researchers released a paper that may force the AI industry to pause. Their findings challenge the idea that advanced AI systems are capable of genuine reasoning. In fact, when confronted with problems that go beyond pattern recognition, these systems fail. Apple’s team describes this as a “complete accuracy collapse” once complexity passes a certain threshold.

So what does that mean for workplaces already exploring agentic AI? It reinforces what many already know. AI is not here to replace people. It is here to help them work smarter.

Groundswell’s exploration of agentic AI has already touched on audits, acquisitions, and budgeting. But the most personal impact may come through how it changes the way organizations support their people.

Rethinking HR’s First Mile

Forward-leaning teams are taking a pragmatic approach. They’re deploying AI where it does the most good with the least risk: the repetitive, rules-driven activities that bog down HR teams. Think: screening applicants, guiding onboarding, answering basic policy questions. These are the rote tasks that drain human time but don’t require human judgment.

The result is not just faster support but stronger human focus. HR professionals are freed up to spend more time on conversations, decisions, and strategy. AI holds the clipboard. People hold the line.

Rules, Not Replacements

The best uses of agentic AI in human capital are the ones that keep professionals in charge. These tools work best when given clear rules to follow. They should not be expected to reason, judge, or navigate nuance. That is still the work of people.

Apple’s findings support this view. The illusion of “thinking machines” does not hold up under pressure. What holds up instead is well-designed automation with boundaries and purpose.

Where We Go Next

This is not a time to back away from AI. It is a time to be honest about what it does well and what it does not. The most effective leaders will be those who apply AI where it relieves pressure without creating risk.

Agentic AI can accelerate human capital work by handling the rote, the routine, and the repeatable. But decisions, discretion, and empathy remain out of scope. That’s not a flaw. That’s a design principle.

Success will come from clarity: the right tools for the right tasks, and the right people doing the work that only people can do.